BARCELONA
Sergiño Dest rediscovering himself in the Netherlands
After tough periods at Barça and Milan, the American full-back returned to the Netherlands to find his best football again. It’s all coming together at PSV.
Sergiño Dest touched down in Barcelona in 2020, joining the Catalans from Ajax, in exchange for 21 million euros ($22.5 million). At the time, he was part of one of the Dutch club’s most promising generations of recent years. Expectations were high, but after a bright start, his performances declined considerably. The season he spent on loan at Milan was another failure.
The time came when he needed a change. At Barça, he had become one of Xavi’s discards. Finally, the option of returning home came up. PSV asked about a loan, and ended up taking him on a one-year deal with an option to buy in August. The move appears to be paying off. Since his arrival in Eindhoven, everything has been going right. His performances, have not been declining as they had previously - quite the opposite, they have been improving considerably.
So far, he has played practically every game, appearing as a starter, apart from two games when he rested after returning from international duty with the United States. He has shone, on many occasions, playing on the opposite wing as a left back - a brand new position for him and a role in which he is as comfortable as he is in his natural position.
In addition, he is part of one of the most in-form teams in Europe. PSV remain unbeaten in the Eredivisie, with 15 wins in 15 games, 52 goals for and just six against. In the Champions League, PSV are through to the Round of 16 after finishing second in their group to Arsenal.
On Tuesday, he came on as a sub for the last 16 minutes of the 1-1 draw against Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal - but it was enough to demonstrate the confidence and great form he is in. One of the highlights was when he nutmegged Jakub Kiwior, to the delight of fans in the stands at the Phillips Stadion.
Dest, another possible lever for Barça
Dest has another 18 months to run on his contract with Barcelona. It will expire in June 2025 which means the club will likely listen to offers of around $11 million for him next summer. Along with Juan Miranda and Abde, the North American can be another option for Barça in its constant attempt to free up economic space. Things are finally looking up for Dest is revaluating himself, and while it’s unlikely that Xavi will give him a second chance, the next two transfer windows will be key for both the future of the player and for Barcelona.